Steelers Big Idea For Justin Fields To Return Kicks Comes From 'Higher Up The Ladder' Than Danny Smith

The Pittsburgh Steelers have made some interesting moves this off season, including acquiring two quarterbacks, Russell Wilson and Justin Fields. Since the news broke that they would both be wearing black and gold, fans have been wondering how that will work. 

Head Coach Mike Tomlin said that Wilson will be given preference to start in camp. That makes sense since Wilson has been in the league longer than Fields and because he knows what it takes to get to the Super Bowl, he's been there twice. But does that mean Fields will just sit around as the second-string guy and hope for his opportunity? 

Recently news was leaked that Fields might be doing something entirely unexpected. Steelers running back Jaylen Warren was a guest on teammate Cameron Heyward's podcast, Not Just Football, which he filmed from the NFL Draft festivities. While on the show Warren leaked the news that Danny Smith is planning to use Fields as a return man this season. 

That understandably got a big reaction from everyone listening. It is not every day that the quarterback returns kicks, but it is also not very often that your quarterback is as fast as Fields. On a recent episode of the NFL on NBC, analyst Mike Florio let on to listeners that he wasn't very happy Warren dropped the bombshell before he could. Florio also implied the decision isn't Smith's to make. 

"We didn't write about it, and I don't know how far down the rabbit hole I can go but Charean [Williams] caught wind of this at some point and Charean and I had kind of agreed that at the appropriate time we will put this out there, that the Steelers are thinking about doing it. Before we could agree on the appropriate time to put it out there, Jaylen Warren, let the cat out of the bag."

The use of Fields as a kick returner under the new kick return rule does make sense. The new rule states the ball is kicked from the kicking team's 35-yard line. Before the kick, every player on the kicking team, except the kicker, will line up with at least one foot on the returning team's 40-yard line. 

This will help advance the ball faster and should lead to more touchdowns off kicks. All of this makes football just a bit more exciting. However, it has led teams to reevaluate how and where they use their players. The new rule means teams will fare best with two speedy guys lined up to receive the ball. 

"This is one of the realities of this new kickoff formation and this isn't some major shock that a team would be considering how to best deploy its assets. It doesn't surprise me because I think people higher up on the ladder than the special teams coordinator have been talking about Justin Fields returning kicks for the Steelers. The idea of Justin Fields and Cordarrelle Patterson back there together, that's taking advantage of the new kickoff formation," said Florio.

According to Florio, all teams will consider how to reduce the possibility of injury in this new system. There is limited time for players to "build up a head of steam," and the Steelers want to use their speed to their advantage. 

It is why Pittsburgh signed Cordarrelle Patterson in the first place said Florio. The team has struggled, particularly with field position, the past few years. When you couple that with the fact that the offense also struggled to move the ball down the field, something has to give.  

Steelers Using Justin Fields As A Returner Isn't Crazy

The Steelers, under General Manager Omar Khan, have been working on creating a more versatile team. Khan has spoken about this before, stressing that the team is looking for adaptable players. This has been proven by the addition of 2024 first-round selection Troy Fautanu, who will join last year's first pick, Broderick Jones, on the offensive line as a tackle. They both have the potential to play on both sides of the line. 

It could be that Khan and even Tomlin see that Fields could be used in multiple ways. The idea of Fields returning kicks isn't all that crazy. There have been other quarterbacks that have acted as a return man, including the Steeler's own Kordell Stewart, who returned kicks for the practice squad to stay in shape. There was also Joe Webb from the Minnesota Vikings and the then-Washington Redskins Joe Theismann, who would later win a Super Bowl as a quarterback.